<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Entropy by kittening</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27427891">Entropy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittening/pseuds/kittening'>kittening</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hetalia: Axis Powers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Minor Denmark/Norway (Hetalia), Minor England/France (Hetalia), Minor Finland/Sweden (Hetalia), and denmark is there, iceland and norway's endearingly dysfunctional brotherly relationship, kind of enemies to lovers.... but like lowkey, minor seychelles/monaco, will add more character tags as they appear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:28:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27427891</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittening/pseuds/kittening</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Eirik's senior year of high school, and he expects it to be exactly like every year before: comfortable, quiet, and unremarkable. Then a new student arrives, and his life is ruined.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hong Kong/Iceland (Hetalia)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Entropy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eirik liked familiarity. He’d been attending the same school since his family moved from Oslo to a small town in Rhode Island when he was six, and New Hope was compact enough that he and his brother didn’t even own a car. He knew every face, even if he’d never actually spoken to them--he didn’t especially like that part, since it meant that everyone in town knew everyone else’s business, but it did mean that he rarely had to deal with strangers. He wasn’t any good at that. He’d freely admit that he didn’t, in general, like other people very much, and people he didn’t know were nothing short of anxiety-inducing. </p>
<p>When he walked into class for the first day of senior year, there was something new. Someone, actually. An unfamiliar boy sat sprawled on top of a desk in the center of the classroom, a lazy smirk on his face, choppy black hair flying as he flung back his head to laugh. He was surrounded by students already--Yong Soo, Cécile, and Marcello had brought their chairs over to the boy’s desk, and judging from the looks on their faces, they’d already claimed the new student as one of their own. </p>
<p>Eirik felt his lip curling. Those three were what he would disdainfully describe as ‘popular’, if that could be applied to anyone at a school of less than two hundred students. He should have known they’d fall in love with a new student at first sight, when they’d barely acknowledged Eirik’s existence in the past twelve years. </p>
<p>Suddenly, the new boy sat up straight. Eirik froze as he glanced over at him, and ducked his head, hurrying to the back of the classroom before the boy could--god forbid--ask what he was doing, or why he’d been staring. Eirik’s heart pounded wildly in his chest as he slipped into his seat between Angélique and Eduard. He squeezed his eyes shut, mentally cursing himself--why was he so nervous? Now he’d made himself look like an idiot--any chance of making a positive impression was already gone. He shouldn’t care at all what the new boy thought of him, and yet he could feel his cheeks burning in embarrassment. </p>
<p>“You saw the new kid?” Eduard asked. </p>
<p>Eirik looked over at his friend sullenly. Eduard was scrawny and pale, with glasses and an enthusiastic interest in recreational hacking; Eirik often thought it was a good thing they’d found each other, as neither seemed likely to make many friends elsewhere. Angélique, of course, would be fine without them. </p>
<p>“Who even is he?” Eirik muttered. </p>
<p>Angélique leaned over, filling the air around Eirik’s desk with a floral scent. She was strikingly pretty, with amber brown eyes and immaculate, cloudlike curls. She easily could have befriended Cécile and the others, but each year, without fail, she’d come to school early on the first day and claim three chairs at the back of the room, where she knew Eirik and Eduard felt most comfortable.</p>
<p>“His name is Leon Wang,” she said in a loud whisper. “Apparently he’s a transfer student. I think he’s new in town, too.” </p>
<p>“I’ve certainly never seen him before,” Eduard said thoughtfully. Eirik crossed his arms, taking another look at the new boy now that he was out of view. He was still laughing, revealing a crooked smile, and the sleeves of his white uniform shirt were rolled back to his upper arm. That was a dress code violation, definitely. </p>
<p>“He’s cute,” Angélique said, giggling behind her hand. She nudged Eduard’s shoulder.  “Don’t you think?” </p>
<p>“Not my type,” Eduard said flatly.</p>
<p>“Eh, you’re boring. Eirik, what do you think? I like his hair.”</p>
<p>Eirik scowled. “What are you asking me for? I don’t care what he looks like. He’s obnoxious. We’ll never have peace in here again, I guarantee it.” </p>
<p>Angélique gave a dramatic sigh. “<em>Mon dieu </em>, you’re both in a mood this morning. I’m going to introduce myself.” </p>
<p>“Angél--” Eirik yelped, breaking off as the girl promptly rose from her seat and ran over to Leon Wang. He buried his face in his hands, only daring to look from between his fingers. Angélique had already reached the new boy, having to look up at him from where he was perched on the desk. He was smiling at her, although--and Eirik might have been biased--he could have sworn the kid’s smile was crooked, like he had some sinister intentions. </p>
<p>“What are they talking about?” Eduard asked under his breath. “I can’t hear.”</p>
<p>“Me, either.” Eirik stared warily as Angélique and Leon talked, until suddenly, the new boy turned to look at him, just like before. This time Eirik froze entirely, at a loss of what to do--there was nowhere he could go to escape the attention. With Eirik caught in his gaze, the boy gave a two finger-salute, his smile widening. Eirik covered his face entirely. The next moment he heard Angélique settling into her seat, and when he dared to move his hands away from his eyes, the girl’s eyes were widened in confusion. </p>
<p>“What did you talk about?” Eduard asked. His voice was still barely audible, as though Leon and the others might overhear from across the room.</p>
<p>“Just small talk, mostly.” Angélique’s lips pursed. “Actually… I don’t like to assume things, but…”</p>
<p>“What is it?” Eirik pressed, before he could stop himself. He couldn’t help it; he wanted to know whatever she’d found out. The new boy was incomprehensible so far--he’d take whatever information he could get. </p>
<p>“I asked why he changed schools with only one year left, and he told me he was a child celebrity in Hong Kong, but the fame was becoming too much for him, so he moved here to live a normal life.” Angélique’s cheeks darkened as she blushed. “I think he was messing with me.”</p>
<p>“He said that?” Eduard asked in surprise. “You know, this morning I heard someone in the hall saying <em> they </em>knew why he moved here--he’d gotten a better final grade than the top student in his class, and she tried to stab him with a tape dispenser. They said he’s in witness protection.”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s obviously not true either,” Angélique said. </p>
<p>A chair scraping across the floor caught Eirik’s attention, and he looked over as their classmate Kaelin scooted towards them. Kaelin’s defining feature was a head of curls that somehow resembled ram’s horns--Eirik had never had the courage to ask if the look was intentional. </p>
<p>“I talked to him earlier,” Kaelin said seriously. “He told me he was dating the principal’s daughter, and the guy caught them--you know. He was expelled on the spot.”</p>
<p>Eduard snorted. “I don’t think that’s legal.” </p>
<p>“What the hell is his problem?” Eirik snapped. His friends turned towards him, startled. “He’s treating us like we’re idiots. Like we won’t notice that everything he says is a lie.” </p>
<p>“Uh, I don’t know about that,” Angélique said hesitantly. “It’s his first day here--he must be nervous, at least a little. Maybe he just thinks it’s funny.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure he does,” Eduard agreed. “I bet he’ll get tired of it by lunch.” </p>
<p>“Somehow, I doubt it,” Eirik muttered. </p>
<p>Before his friends could respond, the classroom door swung open, and a petite woman with short blonde hair hurried into the room, carrying a heaping armful of folders and loose papers. The class fell silent as Ms. Braginskaya clumsily dropped her supplies onto the teacher’s desk, then raised her head with a sheepish smile.</p>
<p>“Good morning, class. Forgive me for being late; my little sister missed the bus and I had to take her to school, so… this morning has been an adventure for me.” The woman’s voice was sweet, and accented with a Slavic bounce. Eirik had had Ms. Braginskaya several times before--she had a reputation among the students for being the kindest teacher at the New Hope Academy, with little competition. She was also a bit on the oblivious side, which endeared her to her students even more. </p>
<p>“Oh, goodness, let’s see…” Humming under her breath, Ms. Braginskaya flipped through a small notebook. Suddenly her eyes widened. “Right! I almost forgot--we have a new student with us. Leon, isn’t it? Leon Wang?”</p>
<p>“That’s correct, ma’am,” Leon said earnestly.</p>
<p>“Well, we’re all very glad to have you here. Why don’t you climb down from that desk and come up front to introduce yourself? I’m sure everyone would like to get to know you a little.” </p>
<p>Leon hopped down and walked to the front of the room. He pushed back his tousled hair and surveyed the room before speaking. As his gaze passed over the back of the room, Eirik sank uncomfortably into his seat.</p>
<p>“Hey, everyone,” Leon said, giving a half-hearted wave. “Like you heard, I’m Leon. I heard some of you guys are wondering why I switched schools so late, so--I’ll set the record straight.”</p>
<p>Eirik leaned forward, his eyes narrowing.</p>
<p>“The truth is, I used to live in Providence, and I worked at this little pizza shop--you know, the kind with a tiny Italian guy in the back slinging dough who doesn’t even speak English. Turns out the place was a front for the Corsican mob; it was kinda a whole thing. Barely made it outta my last shift alive. I figured I’d better lay low for a while, and this place is, like, as low-key as it gets, so I thought I’d just hang out with you guys for a year,” Leon finished with a shrug. </p>
<p>“Oh, my fucking god,” Eirik mumbled. </p>
<p>“Ah--right.” Ms. Braginskaya cleared her throat, looking flustered. “Thank you, Leon. We’ll continue with introductions. Eirik, would you like to go next?” </p>
<p>Eirik straightened in alarm. As he stared at his teacher, she smiled back encouragingly, with a silent insistence--she wasn’t going to let him out of it. With an internal sigh, Eirik slowly rose from his desk and made his way to the front. As he turned to face the class, he felt his heartbeat quickening to a frenzy, and he coughed nervously.</p>
<p>“Um--I’m Eirik. Most of you know that, I guess. A fun fact about me--is that what I’m supposed to say?--um, a fun fact is that I was born in Iceland. But I only lived there for a few months because my family used to move around a lot for my mom’s job. So I lived in Norway too, before I moved here. And now I live here. So, yeah.” With his head lowered and his cheeks burning, Eirik started walking back to his desk. He paused as he heard stifled laughter to his right, and looked up to find Leon pulling away from Cécile, who had the decency to clear her throat and look deliberately ahead. Leon met Eirik’s eyes for a moment, before he leaned back in his chair, smirking. Eirik’s hands balled into fists, and he marched back to his seat with his teeth clenched furiously. </p>
<p>Eirik fumed through the rest of the introductions, as Marcello clarified that Corsicans actually speak French, but yeah that sounds pretty badass, dude, and Eduard talked about his multiple first-place awards at hacking competitions with all the humility of a B-list celebrity, and Basch gave a short, unnecessarily aggressive speech about his sweet little sister. When the bell rang, mercifully marking the end of homeroom, Eirik bolted for the doorway, not wanting to look at the faces of the classmates who had <em> definitely </em>been laughing at his self-introduction.</p>
<p>“Hey.” A hand grabbed Eirik’s wrist, pulling him to a halt. Eirik spun around, glaring at Basch, who looked unbothered as he released Eirik’s wrist. Angélique and Eduard appeared a moment later, still slipping papers into their binders. </p>
<p>“What do you want?” Eirik snapped.</p>
<p>“I thought you’d like to know what that new kid and Cécile were talking about.”</p>
<p>Eirik squinted. Before he could respond, Angélique said, “It’s not like you to get involved.”</p>
<p>“I’m not involved in anything,” Basch insisted. “I just think cliques are stupid, and I overheard what they were saying since they never shut the hell up.” </p>
<p>“Alright,” Eirik said, smoothing out his sleeve resentfully. “What were they saying? It was about me, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Basch confirmed. “The new kid came up with a nickname for you. They were calling you ‘Vanilla Ice’.” </p>
<p>Eirik’s heart sank as Eduard howled with laughter, and even Angélique broke into giggles, looking apologetic as she did. That settled it; it was the nail in his coffin. He wasn’t going to survive this year.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading i love you !!!<br/>I'm not completely happy with this first chapter, but I've had this idea floating in my head for like... five years now and I finally kicked my own ass and made myself start writing it. You can expect a lot of teen angst, awkward family relationships, sexual-tension-disguised-as-fighting, and thinly veiled nostalgia around visiting my aunts in a small town in Rhode Island. Oh and probably me waxing poetic about Seychelles a lot</p>
<p>Also if you don't get the Vanilla Ice reference just assume this is set in like the 90s thanks &lt;3 (I swear I'm only 19)</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>